This year’s NBA Draft seems to be about as ho-hum as you can get in terms of Boston storylines. That is, unless the Celtics pull the trigger on one of the many rumors floating around surrounding Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. The C’s first round pick is gone, a part of the Kevin Garnett trade, so they are left with just the 58th pick, which is tough to handicap.

Even our local colleges will not give us much to pull for as BC and UMass, as well as the other D1 schools, did not turn out any potential draftees. The closest local college players that are likely to be drafted will come out of UConn. Hasheem Thabeet appears to be destined to fill the pivot for Memphis. Thabeet, the 7-3 263 pound junior, averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks while shooting 64% from the field and 62.7% from the free throw line in his best season as a collegian. He is a great defender who possesses the size and length that NBA personnel love, but his offense is still a work in progress. Personally, I think the second selection is too high for a guy who I consider to not be a total lock (see Darko Milicic), but with good coaching, he can be a productive NBA player.

The Huskies point guard, senior, A.J. Price, seems to be a second-round prospect and will likely be in the bench mix for his selecting team. The 6-2, 181 pound player’s numbers were pretty close to last season’s, but took a little dip. Overall, he averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 assists, 2.7 turnovers, 3.5 rebounds, and .7 steals per game. He shot 40.8% from the field, including 40.2% from long range, and 72.1% on free throws.

So, if you want something with a little Boston flavor, watch John Smoltz’s Red Sox debut. The NBA Draft should prove exciting as the trades keep happening and stars keep changing addresses, but barring a Celtics shakeup, this draft is lacking local stories.

3 comments for “NBA Draft Lacks Local Flair”

It’s shame that Tony Gaffney out of UMass did not get much of a shot last night. Apparently he was ranked 68th overall or something, from what I heard. Too bad for UMass who has missed three years straight with some of their better players that have outside chances in the draft.